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March 22, 1883.] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
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such as Lastrea Filix-mas and L. dilatata? I have employed the 
above for several years back. A most successful Orchid grower 
in the Doctor’s own neighbourhood also employs Fern roots, with 
great satisfaction. I had the pleasure of visiting the collection 
under his care only a few days ago, and found some remarkably 
well-grown plants, the cool Orchids especially.” 
- Mb. John Cakter, Keighley, writes—“ It may interest 
some of your readers to hear that after trying of many plants 
I do not find any so effective for edging either garden or shrub¬ 
bery as Cotoneaster microphylla. Small and young plants 
planted in April, about a foot apart and pegged down, form a 
graceful bordering in a few weeks. During the summer the 
longer growths should be shortened with secateurs, and in future 
years kept in any form to suit the taste. The flowers and red 
berries give a pleasing appearance during many months. Cotone¬ 
aster has not the stiff formal appearance of Box, nor the sombre¬ 
ness of Ivy.” 
- The twelfth annual Exhibition of the Teddington Royal 
Horticultural Society is announced for Wednesday, July 4tb, 
and will be held in the grounds adjoining Bushey Park Cottage. 
Ninety-three classes are provided, eighty-three being in three 
sections, for nurserymen, amateurs, and cottagers respectively, 
the remaining ten being special classes, in which the prizes are 
contributed by local supporters of the Society. Plants, flowers, 
fruits, and vegetables are all liberally provided for. The con¬ 
dition of the Society appears to be very satisfactory, for the 
financial account gives a balance of £22 14s. to its credit, an 
improvement of about £4 on last year. 
- “ F. W. B.” writes to us as follows relative to the non¬ 
acknowledgment OF EXTRACTS FROM OUR COLUMNS, and 
published elsewhere :—“ As you were so generous as to believe of 
me. in the Journal of last week, page 224, the non-acknowledg¬ 
ment of the paragraphs referred to was indeed quite uninten¬ 
tional—in fact, as you suggest, a pure accident on my part. 
Having satisfied myself that the omission was entirely my own, 
whatever of responsibility there is must rest on my own shoulders. 
As the articles in question are likely to reappear in book form I 
am especially pleased that an opportunity is still left to me 
to make some little reparation in the matter.” This is just 
such a frank acknowledgment as we expected. We have had 
further letters on the subject of “ manufactured ” articles, and it is 
clear from them that the practice does not meet with general 
approval. 
- An American contemporary states that Strawberries 
and green Peas, fresh picked, from Florida are now on sale in 
some of the markets. Hothouse Tomatoes of insignificant size 
are retailing at 1 dollar (4s. 2d.) per pound, and Cucumbers 
3 dollars (12s. G d.) per dozen. Twenty-three quarts of Straw¬ 
berries from Florida were recently sold in New York at from 
1 dollar to 5 dollars a quart. 
- We are glad to observe by the schedule before us that 
the Northamptonshire Horticultural Society, which held 
its first show last year, is in a satisfactory state, the income of 
the year—£753 9.?. 3d. —having exceeded the expenditure by 
nearly £200. The Exhibition will be held this year on August 
6 th and 7th in Delaprd Park, the schedule containing 125 classes. 
Prizes of £10, £6, and £3 are offered for twelve stove or green¬ 
house plants, and £5 is offered as the first prize for a miscel¬ 
laneous collection. These prizes and some others for Ferns and 
fine-foliaged plants are open to non-members on payment of an 
entrance fee of 10<«. 6d. In connection with the Society a seed¬ 
ling Potato exhibition will be held on August Gth and 7cb, an 
exhibition of bees and apiarian appliances to be held at the 
same time. 
- In the issue of L'Illustration ITorticole for February 
excellent coloured figures are given of Dendrobium bigibbum 
and CypRIPEDlUM Lawrenceanum, two very distinct and 
beautiful Orchi Is. The former is one of the most beautiful of 
the Australian Orchids, its large racemes of crimson flowers being 
very attractive. Cypripedium Lawrenceanum is entitled to rank 
amongst the finest of the marble-leaved species, the dorsal sepal 
being of great size, rounded, white streaked regularly from apex 
to base with warm purplish-crimson ; the lip is also of a fine 
purple hue. 
- In the same issue of the above periodical is given a 
coloured representation of Aralia gemma, a New Caledonian 
species introduced by M. Linden in 1875. It has long, graceful, 
pinnate leaves, the pinnae being small but deeply and irregularly 
cut, imparting a very distinct appearance to the plant. It is 
said to succeed well in a greenhouse, or perhaps preferably in a 
temperature intermediate between a stove and that of the house 
mentioned. It is very easily grown, thriving in a compost of 
peat, leaf soil, light loam, and sand. 
- We have received the schedule of the Royal Cale¬ 
donian Horticultural Society's Shows during the present 
year. The spring Exhibition will be held on the 4th and 5th of 
April, the summer Exhibition on July 11th, and the autumn Show 
on September 12th and 13th. The classes are very numerous, 
and have been judiciously framed with the object of enabling 
the greatest number of exhibitors to compete, while the prizes 
are good without being sensational. The amount offered in 
139 classes at the spring Show is £258, in 103 classes at the 
summer Show £207, and in 14S classes at the autumn Show £240. 
At the first-named Show £5 is provided for the best table of 
plants, and a similar sum for six Azaleas. At the autumn 
Exhibition £5 is the chief prize for a collection of fruit, and £6 
for twelve bunches of Grapes. The Corporation of Edinburgh 
also contributes £12 in three prizes for Grapes. The Shows are 
open to all competitors, whether members of the Society or not, 
and the commendable practice is adopted of paying the prize 
money on the days of the Shows. The finances of the Society 
are in a healthy state, there being a balance of upwards of £330 
over the disbursements of the year. 
- A HANDSOME folding writing cabinet with the following 
address has been presented to Mr. H. A. Mann at the New Somerby 
Literary Institute (the Rev. W. Nash in the chair) accompanied 
with a purse containing £10, on the occasion of his removal 
from St. Vincent’s, Grantham, to take charge of the gardens at 
Denton Hall, Grantham. “ Dear Sir,—We have great pleasure in 
waiting upon you to ask you to accept the above-mentioned 
testimonial as a small token of our appreciation of the high pro¬ 
fessional qualifications you have attained as a member of our 
ancient craft, which have been so fully proved to the horticultural 
community in the many successful achievements which have 
attended your career as an exhibitor, and by certificate*, &c., 
which have been awarded you by the Royal Horticultural Society. 
Also in recognition of the valuable services rendered by you as 
head gardener to Mrs. Hornsby at St. Vincent’s, an establishment 
with which your name will long be remembered, especially by 
those whose privilege it has been to live under you as foremen 
and pupils of your training. We beg to offer you our united 
congratulations on your appointment to the charge you are about 
to undertake ; and we sincerely hope that that confidence which 
has been placed in you by both employer and those employed 
under you (in the situation to which you are about to say fare¬ 
well) may be vouchsafed to you in the position on which you are 
shortly to enter, bearing with you the best wishes of the friends 
who have so liberally supported this our united offering.— 
(Signed) Stephen Davies, on behalf of the Subscribers.” 
